Back in 1984, the Lila Kaye vehicle Mama Malone premiered on CBS and I could not have been happier. What made it cool was that it was a “show within a show”. Being a fan of Jack Benny I am a devotee of this conceit and I am glad to see it alive and well on 30 Rock. Unlike 30 Rock though, which seems to forget they are doing a show sometimes, “Mama Malone” put her cooking show front and center. Their was no missing out on it from episode to episode. So…idea… With cooking shows still doing pretty well and network execs always looking for a new idea, its time to revive the sitcom/cooking show hybrid. Alton Brown is not that bad of an actor. Think about it.
Now the show only lasted an abbreviated season, so its hard to tell if this would have stood the test of time, but I loved it as a kid. Here’s hoping one day they will release this gem on DVD so we everyone see Lila Kaye sparkle in the title role.
Hard to find any copies of this show or I would share more, especially the perfectly faux ethnic theme song, but this is all I have for now. When I locate more I will share. A new quest begins.
Plus, I forgot Randee “Mrs. LaRusso” Heller from Karate Kid was in it as well.
I definitely remember this show. I especially recall one episode where one of the kids was going to have sex but didn’t end up doing it. Mama Malone was planning to cook a lobster on her show but couldn’t get herself to kill the lobster. Mama Malone then compared going through with sex to going through with killing a lobster–which is a really creepy analogy.
Perfectly put IR.